DiscoverExpat ExpertsI Moved to Italy Alone as a PhD Student – Here's What Actually Happened
I Moved to Italy Alone as a PhD Student – Here's What Actually Happened

I Moved to Italy Alone as a PhD Student – Here's What Actually Happened

Update: 2025-12-15
Share

Description

Send us a message!

👩🏼‍🎓🇮🇹 In this episode, we sit down with Sofia Vrettou, a Greek researcher and expat currently living in Italy, to explore what it really takes to build a life abroad — emotionally, culturally, and personally. Sofia shares her journey from Greece to Bologna as a PhD researcher, the cultural differences she experienced between Greek and Italian life, how identity shifts when you move countries, and the challenges of adapting to new academic and social environments.

We discuss:

  • The emotional side of living abroad
  • Language barriers & cultural surprises
  • How to build community when starting over
  • The beauty of blending cultures
  • Rediscovering yourself outside your home country


🎧 Whether you're already abroad, planning to relocate, or simply curious about expat life — this conversation is for you.

📲 Follow Sofia on:
https://www.instagram.com/sofiavrettou_/

Support the show

Check the episodes in video in Youtube 🎥:
https://www.youtube.com/@expatsexperts

Follow us on social media 📲:
https://www.instagram.com/expatexperts_podcast
⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@expatexperts_podcast⁠
⁠https://www.facebook.com/expatexpertspodcast⁠

🌎✈️ Join our Expat Network now and connect with a global community of like-minded adventurers!

Comments 
loading
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
1.0x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

I Moved to Italy Alone as a PhD Student – Here's What Actually Happened

I Moved to Italy Alone as a PhD Student – Here's What Actually Happened

Marc Alcobé Talló